Year: 2017

Interview: Australian Documentary Star David Elliot-Jones on trying out Insta-Fame for his film Big In Japan

Directed by Lachlan McLeod and edited by Louis Dai, Big in Japan tells the story of David Elliot-Jones, a bigger than average Joe. Or was that just an average Joe? David isn’t anyone special, like you and I, he dreams of having his work seen, being heard, being noticed… but if it doesn’t happen, we shrug and get back…

Read More

Film Review: Francis McDormand is unstoppable in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (USA, 2017)

Fearlessness and eagle-eyed justice drive Mildred Hayes as she takes an entire town’s police squad to task for failing to properly investigate her daughter’s rape and murder in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Martin McDonagh’s black comedy is all it has been hyped up to be: sharp, wry, nuanced, clever, hilarious and utterly compelling as…

Read More

Review: Novotel Zurich City West provides comfort in the heart of Swiss hipster culture

Switzerland may be best known for its unparalleled beauty and majestic landscapes but there’s still plenty to do for urban-dwellers across the country. Take Zürich for example, a city that seems pleasant and relatively placid until you reach the kinetic hipster-leaning cultural revival going down in Zürich-West: a former industrial area that’s getting a seriously…

Read More

U by Uniworld introduce Europe’s newest millennial-focused river cruise

A new millennial-focused river cruise brand has debuted its first ship, simple titled “The B”, in Paris, France with a maiden voyage along the Seine River. U by Uniworld has stepped onto the scene in a big way, offering up a distinctive program of river cruising targeted towards millennials aged 21 to 45. “We’re thrilled…

Read More

Maldives to get a Radisson Blu Resort in 2019

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group recently announced the signing of a management agreement for Radisson Blu Resort Maldives with Chang Hua Holdings. The property, which will open in the first quarter of 2019, represents a substantial presence for the brand as it’s the first Radisson Blu resort in the market. To be built on the southern…

Read More

American Idiot is coming to Adelaide: Here’s everything you need to know!

Get ready to make some noise!! Green Day’s Broadway musical, American Idiot, is coming to Adelaide and the award-winning spectacle promises to be explosive. Following a successful run in Brisbane earlier this year, the Australian production is about to embark on a national tour and will be arriving in Adelaide January 19. Presented by Adelaide…

Read More

Book Review: Elan Gale’s You’re Not That Great (but Neither is Anyone Else) is like fear & self-loathing in Los Angeles

A lot of us have heard of the metaphor involving the carrot and the stick. It describes the idea of reward versus punishment, such that a cart driver can use the former to motivate a reluctant mule or they can hit it with the stick. When we think about self-help books they typically use the…

Read More

Book Review: Fresh Complaint is a highly anticipated collection that leaves a lot to be desired

Jeffrey Eugenides, best known for his novels The Virgin Suicides and Middlesex, has earned a reputation as somewhat of a heavyweight in American literature. His last book was The Marriage Plot, published in 2011, a novel which followed three college students during the year 1982. Many parts of that novel were loosely based on the…

Read More

Interview: Ruby Rose talks Pitch Perfect 3 and why she doesn’t want to direct a feature

Ruby Rose chats to The Iris’ Peter Gray about how she landed her role in Pitch Perfect 3, getting to skip the action this time around… and she tells us why she doesn’t want to direct a feature film. Watch the full interview here: Pitch Perfect 3 is in cinemas on New Years Day through…

Read More

Film Review: Pitch Perfect 3 (USA, 2017) is a little off key but still delivers the laughs

Welcome back Pitches! So the third and final installment of the Pitch Perfect franchise is about to land with all the Barden Bellas crew returning for one more hurrah. When the first film hit cinemas in 2012 it tapped into a hot new trend of reality tv-shows and Youtube performers and Glee-style musical numbers of…

Read More

Topdeck are offering discounts on their Middle East and Africa itineraries right now

Topdeck, who have had quite a year introducing new itineraries to their ever-growing range of adventures, have just slashed the price to their Middle East and Africa Trips for the 2018-2019 season. For a limited time, those keen on heading out to one of Topdeck’s stand to save up to $900 with a 7.5% Early…

Read More

How does “Twice Upon a Time” stand up as a swansong for Doctor Who‘s Steven Moffat?

**SPOILER WARNING!** The following contains spoilers regarding the 2017 Doctor Who Christmas Special, “Twice Upon a Time”. And with that, the sprawling, often brilliant but mostly wildly inconsistent [Steven] Moffat run on Doctor Who is over!  …Oh, right. We’re meant to be talking about the regeneration of Capaldi into Whittaker. Well, that was brilliant, clearly….

Read More

Paul Verhoeven dishes on his Top 10 Video Games of 2017!

2017! What an unmitigated dumpster fire. Which I know is about as far from a hot take as you can get, but my point is this: somehow, escapism became a counterbalance. Some of the best games (and films, and movies, and albums, and books) came out this year, as if artistic antibodies hurried to fight…

Read More

Film Review: Big in Japan (Australia, 2017) is far more than one man’s vainglorious pursuit

Where most foreigners settling in Japan pass their time in Japanese pubs, English schools or seeking out every piece of longstanding architecture, David Elliot-Jones spent his trying to become famous. And you’ve probably never heard of the guy, but that doesn’t mean he failed. Big in Japan opens with a preface about the seemingly endless…

Read More

Film Review: The Greatest Showman (USA, 2017) is cheery lunacy that revels in its attempt to call back on the positive musicals of the past

Going for broke and wearing its heart on its sleeve for all to appreciate, The Greatest Showman is a corny yet engaging musical that embraces its overt positivity with stride. An enthusiastically romanticised telling of how legendary American showman P.T. Barnum (portrayed by a wholly committed Hugh Jackman) worked his way from rags to riches…

Read More

Theatre Review: The Unbelievables is a magical, modern spectacle

Seeing is believing. Especially when you are watching a theatre show like, The Unbelievables. This variety show comes from the producers of The Illusionists and Circus 1903 and promises to be the “greatest” one on earth. The finished product is a grand assortment of different treats and tricks, with performers from multiple disciplines and presentations…

Read More

The Good Filo is South Sydney’s new Greek dessert bar and patisserie

In the wake of all the New Year’s cheer the South Sydney suburb of Ramsgate will welcome a modern Greek-Australian patisserie co-owned by Aki Daikos, best known as the man behind the city’s super popular Tella Balls Dessert Bar. The Good Filo, co-owned by Daikos and Head Baker Kiriakos Metaxotos will open its doors on…

Read More

TV Review: Black Mirror‘s fourth season marks a plateau point for a groundbreaking original

As it has done well over its past three seasons, Black Mirror has surprised me. However this year, the surprise hasn’t come in the form of a deadly plot twist halfway through the narrative’s third act, or a realisation that comes in the form of sad ending. No, this year it was the episode that I had,…

Read More

The 40 Best Albums of 2017

This week, we brought you an end of year list detailing some special Australian albums released this year, the Top 20 in fact, that have made their mark. With Gang of Youths‘ Go Farther in Lightness taking the Number One spot, and the likes of Jen Cloher, Ecca Vandal, Winston Surfshirt and more also featuring prominently, we revisited some of…

Read More

Film Review: Alexander Payne thinks a bit too big with Downsizing (USA, 2017)

There is no escaping a society defined by over-consumption, over-population, excessive stress and glaring inequality as Alexander Payne delivers a big message with a small scale, working his surrealist charm and far-flung sense of adventure into Downsizing. The long-gestating project, directed by Payne and written with frequent collaborator Jim Taylor, is a grand, and at…

Read More

Film Review: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (USA, 2017) looks like a fun videogame, but plays like a cheat

It’s quite amusing that films based on videogames like Assassin’s Creed, Max Payne, Super Mario Bros. and Street Fighter are complete rubbish and yet films that revolve around videogames or reflect the videogame aesthetic are a different story. With films like David Cronenberg‘s sci-fi body horror film eXistenZ (which is a spiritual followup to Videodrome),…

Read More

Live Review: YelaWolf proves he is one of hip hop’s most unique emcees with rousing Sydney show

Just hearing YelaWolf spit a verse live is a show in itself. The Alabama emcee has an innate talent for the kind of machine-gun rap very few can do so well, making it look easy as he confidently, and clearly, spins verse after verse with head-spinning proficiency, jumping from word to word without ever losing…

Read More

Get amongst some unmissable French revelry, as the Adelaide French Festival takes shape in January

Kicking off in Adelaide next month, the Adelaide French Festival will be celebrating some of the best music, theatre, film and more from the iconic European cultural nation. Incorporating the ever popular So Frenchy, So Chic in the Park festival on January 12th, the likes of Féfé, Juniore, General Elektriks and L.E.J. will perform at Pinky Flat representing for some of the hottest…

Read More

Bad//Dreems, Everything Everything & more hitting up the Jack Daniel’s Barrel House & White Rabbit Saloon this Falls Festival!

The Jack Daniel’s Barrel House, as well as the White Rabbit Saloon, is coming to the Falls Festivals in Lorne and Byron Bay this year, hosting local and international artists, ensuring that the party keeps on kicking. The Barrel House offers punters intimate performances and DJ sets, while the White Rabbit Saloon is coming to…

Read More

Music Video of the Day: The National “Sleep Well Beast” (2017)

When US indie giants The National received a Grammy nomination for best packaging, it seemed fitting that the band would translate their acclaimed album art into video form. The new music video for “Sleep Well Beast”, like the album art, is a collaboration between the band, graphic designer Luke Hayman, artist Casey Reas and photographer…

Read More

Interview: Kim Churchill on returning home for FOTSUN, fresh from touring Europe with Milky Chance

Kim Churchill is no stranger to the Australian festival scene. Easily one of the country’s most popular and hardworking performers, Churchill found himself home from Europe and back into the swing of things earlier this month, hitting the Festival of the Sun stage in Port Macquarie. We checked in with Kim as the weekend rolled out! It’s always…

Read More

The 20 Best Australian Albums of 2017!

There’s no mistaking it, 2017 has been a stellar year for Australian music. We’ve seen Aussies surge forward internationally, while the term ‘household name’ has never been truer for some as this year has rolled out. As we approach the end of 2017, we’ve put together our annual End Of list, representing the 20 Best Australian…

Read More

David Thompson has made Long Chim’s top quality Sriracha Sauce available for retail

Aaharn Sriracha Sauce is, according to renowned Long Chim chef David Thompson, arguably the world’s best tasting sriracha sauce to exist. And who are we to argue? Thompson uses to sauce in his restaurants worldwide, and with the kind of acclaim that regularly surrounds the chef and pretty much everything he does, it’s safe to…

Read More

Summer is Here: Festival of the Sun proves to be the perfect kick off event for the festival season

Port Macquarie’s Festival of the Sun – over a weekend packed with festivals around the country – helped kick off the Summer Festival season in style earlier this month, coinciding with the start of Summer holidays for many university students. The event, which has taken over the Sundowner Breakwall Tourist Park on the beaches of…

Read More

Single of the Day: Wafia “Only Love” (2017)

To say Wafia has blown up in 2017 is an understatement. From a massive headline Aussie tour to playing massive European shows with BØRNS, plus the huge success of previous single “Bodies”, it’s suffice to say that Wafia is a name you should know. The ride only continues into the new year, with a North…

Read More